Wayne Rooney: Now Manchester United star wants Wesley Sneijder to be signed

24 October 2010 07:08

Manchester United's commitment to match Wayne Rooney's ambition by chasing the best players in the world could be tested as early as January after Inter Milan's contract talks with Wesley Sneijder broke down.

The Dutchman, who last year led to a historic treble in winning the Champions League, Serie A and the Coppa Italia, and then helped Holland to the World Cup final, is expecting a significant increase on his current £5.2million a year deal.

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Sneijder, who was linked with United last summer, is exactly the calibre of player Rooney expects the United's owners, the Glazer family, to attract to the club after the promises they made in a transatlantic phone conversation at the end of last week to persuade their star to stay at Old Trafford.

Patrice Evra warns: I'll leave Manchester United if I think we cannot win trophiesHow Wayne Rooney used Yaya Toure's wages to convince the Glazers he is worth £10m a yearKENNY DALGLISH: Manchester United's players can't blame Rooney for having ambitionPATRICK COLLINS: Why we should all celebrate Ferguson's greatest victory the Mail on Sunday can reveal the crucial talks on Thursday and Friday between Rooney, his representatives and United centred on two areas that tipped Rooney into agreeing to a new contract worth £200,000 a week.

First was assurances that manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be 69 in December, was committed to the club for at least the next few years, provided he maintained his health, and even potentially for the entire length of new five-year deal.

The second major area concerned Rooney's own health, with worries that his longevity will be affected by his rugged style.

A source close to the negotiations said: 'Rooney appreciates that, being such a competitive player in probably the most challenging role in football, his shelf life at the highest level may not be as long as players in other positions.

'Whatever happened in the past few days and even before that, it didn't affect one bit the respect and regard Wayne feels for Sir Alex. He knows any success he has had since joining United has been because of their relationship.

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'He wants only the best for United. He wants them to be the best football team in Europe and he knows the best chance of that happening will be if Sir Alex remains in charge for as long as possible.'

Sneijder's arrival would help United's ambitions. He has just two-and-a-half years left on his contract and if Inter cannot reach agreement in the coming months, they will be forced to sell him in January or this summer if they wish to realise the his £40million value.

Talks between Sneijder's agent Soren Lerby and the club have continued since his excellent summer but broke off last Thursday.

Patrice Evra warns: I'll leave Manchester United if I think we cannot win trophiesHow Wayne Rooney used Yaya Toure's wages to convince the Glazers he is worth £10m a yearKENNY DALGLISH: Manchester United's players can't blame Rooney for having ambitionPATRICK COLLINS: Why we should all celebrate Ferguson's greatest victory